Beet-harvester



J. E. WYCKOFF.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, i920. 1,890,663.

Fig. .7

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Patented Sept. 13,1921.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

1li E. "WYOIUFF, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BMT-HARVESTER.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. Wroxorr, a citizen of the United States,residing at LosAngeles, in the `county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in aBeet-.riarvester, of which the following is a specification. i Thisinvention pertains to a machine for harvesting beets `and other plantsofa like l beets, pulling them `from t e soil and `securely holding themwhile the are being raised to the topper;.and secon to provide a toppercooperating with `the grasper `so thatthe tops of the beets are removedWhile lbeing held by thefgrasper, and then released l `to`bedelivered toa selected place; and third, to providedetails of structure, whereby aneilicent, durable, easily manipulated machine, certain in operation isobtained.

` `These objects together with` other objects and correspondingaccomplishments are obtained by means of the embodiment of my inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a heet harvester; Fig. 2 is a lan view;Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of F1g. 1; Fig. 4

is a section taken` on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 2;

and Fig. 5 is an enlarged section `talren on the "line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

` Referring more particularly toFigs. 1, 2,

and 3, a chassis is indicated by A. Pivotally mounted upon the chassisis a frame B,

which carries the `grasper mechanism indicated generally by C. Thetopperis indicated by D. y y y The chassis comprises a frame includingside bars 6` and 7 connected at the `frontby a bar 8. Journaled upon the.side hars adjaellt therear endithereof isfan axle 9 having y i Hiredlysecured yto `the` ands` thereof ground wheelsflO and 11. wAdjacentthefronttsnd of `the Side barsareisteerixgdmucklesJand 5b flahavingthefront mheelslmand 15 mounted Karan selladas themat- The lpeeicationof Letters Iatent.

Application Med lay 29,

1920. serial No. 385,107.

steering mechanism may be of any well known type, such as is used inautomobiles, and is indicated by16. As this steering mechanism forms nopart of my invention andis well known in the art, itis not necessar todescribe the details thereof.

rame B includes side bars 17 and 18 piv- `otally mounted adjacent theirrear ends upon axle 9. Securing the side bars 17 and 1,8 together at thefront thereof isa bar 19. A similar bar 20 connects the `side `bars atthe rear. Suit-ably supported upon the rear of the frame is a seatindicated generally by 21. The seat serves fortheoperator ofthe machine,and his weight acts `as `a counterbalance `for the moment of the frontpart of the frame B. y

Journaled in the frame B at about the center thereof is a shaft 22.Fixedly secured to the shaft is a sprocket wheel 23. Fixed to axle 9 inlinewith rl'pcket wheel 23 is a sprocket wheel 24. eels 23 and 211 aregeared together by means of a sprocket chain 25.- This provides forpositively driving the shaft 22 fromthe axle 9. y

The grasper comprises a grooved wheel or sheave 26 secured to shaft 22,and is best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Hubs 26 are fixed to the shaft 22.Securedto each hub 26 is a disk 27 dished outwardly at its periphery toprovide shrouds. An annular shoulder is formed on each of the disks onthe inner side and is arranged to form a scarf joint with a ring 29.Interposed between rings 29 is a ring `30V connected thereto by `scarfjoints. Projecting radially from the ring 30 are spikes 31. The disks27, rings 29, and ring 30 are assembled and held together bymeans ofbolts 32. This construction provides for 1assembling a sheave withrings29 of various widths, and thereby obtaining a sheave `of any desiredwidth. This is advantageous to accommodate the machine to beets ofvaroussizes.

Secured to the front of the frame B is a `bracket 33, upon which ismounted a shaft 34 bent at the center to `provide journals inclined fromthe bracket toward the rear. Rotatably mounted upon thesha'ftBLiad1`aicent the `ends are sprocket wheels 35. which otherheingi` crowded`by the wheel .26. Dis- Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

'beets being harvested.

land they are bent inwardly at the top.

Each'pair of 'standards has a knife 39 secured thereto,"the edges facingthe other, e but spaced to form in effect a .hoot4j'ack shaped knife.The standards may be made adjustable as tofheight, so as to position they knife or toppergat such distance from the p eriphery of the sheave'26as is desired in conformity withthe size and natureof the A chute 40 ismounted on they framev B with its intake end below the rear of the top-Yper. This chute extends downwardly and discharges upon van elevator 41,which may 'be of' any well known-type of construction.

' As the' detailsv ofthis elevator are not material to the invention,they will notbe de!` scribed. The elevator merely serves for the anddeliverin purpose of receiving the lbeets from the chute g them to somereceptacle or discharging themelsewhere.

A cross bar -42 extends between the side bars of frameB and has Vmountedthereon fingers 43 spaced on each side of the spikes on sheave 26 sothat the beet 'tops will be lifted from the spikes and discharged` uponYa grating 44, which directs them to one side Y out of the way of thesheave 26.

` vThe machine. is directed over a row of beets with the chains36 oneach side thereof.

YAs the shea-ve 26 approachesthe beets, the

chains 36 crowd toward each other, and

ygrasp the' roots as the sheave rides therej over. The weight of thesheave forces it 1 rolling down to the elevator, and are carried.thereby to the point ofdelivery. It is obvidownj over the beets, Vtheshrouds entering theV soi-l on each Vside thereof. The tines 37 enterthe beetsfrom each side, and spikes 31 enetrate the beets from the top.Thus the beets are rmly gripped and pulled from the ground, they arethen carried upwardly 'to the topper Vas best shown in Fig. 5. The

top is severed as lthe beet is forced against the knife blades andthetop carried on until the fingers 43 lift the top from the sheave.

Y The tops are then discharged over the grating 44 to the ground'. Thebeet yportions which are cut from the sheave are pushed along the topperand fall-into the chute 40,

ous thatV my invention is not limited tothe use of chains 'but theirequivalents may be What I'claim`iS;-" e .e e v1. Ina. harvester, 'agrasper comprising a ff: sheave arranged to ride-onY the-ground, a.pairL of endlessgrasper chainsY passed over said sheave and disposed inthe groove thereof, means over which said chains are passed to separatethem, whereby the chains approach cach other toward one bight and recedefrom -the other toward the other bight, and inwardly directed tines onsaid chains for penetrating the plants to be harvested as the sheavepasses over them.

2. Tn a harvester, a grasper comprising a sheave having radiallyextending spikes in the groove thereof arranged to ride on the ground, apair of endless grasper chains passed over said sheave and disposed inthc 'groove thereof, means over which said chains are passed to separatethem, whereby the chains approach each other toward one bight and recedefrom each other toward t-he other bight, and'inwardly directed tines onsaid chain for penetrating the plants to be harvested as the sheavepasses over them. 3. In a harvester, a grasper comprising a sheavearranged to ride on the ground, a pairof endless grasper chains passedover said sheave and disposed in the groove thereof, spaced wheels overwhich said chains pass to separate them on both sides, whereby thechains approach each other toward one bight and recede from each othertoward the other bight, and inwardly directed tines on said chains forpenetrating the plants to be harvested.

4. In a harvester, a grasper comprising a sheave having radiallyextending spikes in the groove thereof arranged to ride on the ga-ouml,a pair of endless grasper chains passed over said sheave and disposed inthe groove thereof, spaced wheels over which said chains. pass toseparate them on both sides, whereby the chains approach each othertoward one bight and recede from each other toward the other bight, andinwardly directed tines on said chains for penetrating the plants to heharvested.

5. ln aharvester, a grasper comprising a sheave arranged to ride on theground, a pair of endless grasper chains passed over said .sheave anddisposed in the groove thereof, means over which said chains are passedto separate them, whereby the chains approach each other toward onebight and recede from each other towardthe other bight, inwardlydirected tines on vsaid chains for penetrating Vthe plants to beharvested, and means to cut the plant tops from the roots disposed overthe top of the chains at the bight where the chains recede in theirtravel.

6. In a harvester, a grasper comprising a ksheave Ahaving radiallyextending spikes in the groove thereof arranged to ride on thc ground, apair Vof endless grasper chains passed over said sheave and disposed inthe groove` thereof, means over which said chains'"are passed toseparate them, whereby the chains approach each other toward one bightand Vrecede from each other toward the other bi ht, inwardly directedtines on said chains or penetrating the plants to be harvested, andmeans to out the plant tops from the roots disposed over the top of t echains at the bight where the chains recede in their travel.

7. InV a harvester, a grasper comprising a v sheave arranged to ride onthe ground, said sheave being adjustable as to width, a pair of endlessgrasper chains passed over said sheave and dis osed in the groovethereof, means over which said chains are passed to separate them,whereby the chains approach each other toward qne bight and recede fromeach other toward the other bight, and inwardly directed tines on saidchains for penetrating the plants to be harvested.

8. In a` harvester, a grasper comprising a sheave having radiallyextending spikes 1n the groove thereof arranged to ride on the ground,said sheave being adjustable as to width, a pair of endless grasperchains passed over said sheave and disposed 1n the groove thereof, meansover which said chains,

are passed to separate them, whereby the chains approach each othertoward one biffht and recede from each other toward the other bight, andinwardly directed tines on said chain penetrating the plants to beharvested.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 19th day of May, 1920.

JOSEPH E. WYGKOFF.

